Contributions
529 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [Lords]This is not rewriting history but merely to point out to the Minister, who may not remember, that when Labour left office in 2010 the economy was growing, and what happened then…15 Nov 2021HANSARD Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [Lords]It is a great pleasure to follow the Secretary of State. I place on record my thanks to Lord Watson, Baroness Wilcox and Baroness Sherlock for their work on the Bill. I hope the…15 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The levy to fund social care is one more tax that will hit hard-pressed families in the spring and will do nothing about the deep-seated need…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsIt is a great pleasure to follow the Secretary of State in today’s debate. Our public services keep the nation going. In the last 18 months, we have relied on them more than ever:…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsThe hon. Member may not remember the Dilnot plan, which had cross-party support until Conservative Members torpedoed it. He may not have read the five principles that Labour has…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Again and again, I have met people who have described their learning journey from BTECs to university and an excellent career. Of course we…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsIf my hon. Friend will forgive me, I will make some progress. OECD data show that the UK has some of the world’s highest childcare costs—the cost of nursery provision for a…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsI have absolutely no idea where that £400 billion figure comes from. The hon. Member says that it is uncosted, but there is no such uncosted plan; he needs to check his figures.…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsMy hon. Friend makes the case. Labour’s plan would deliver the wellbeing and academic support needed to meet the scale of the challenge and ensure that all children can reach…02 Nov 2021HANSARDBudget ResolutionsI am about to finish my speech, so I hope my hon. Friend will forgive me if I do not. This Budget failed to address the challenges facing our education system—from early years to…02 Nov 2021HANSARDNational Tutoring ProgrammeI welcome the Secretary of State to his post, and I congratulate him and his new team on their appointment. By the end of the national tutoring programme period, nearly 2 million…01 Nov 2021HANSARDNational Tutoring ProgrammeYes, but tutoring is reaching just one in 16 pupils this year, and the attainment gap is 18 months at GCSE and widening. The Government failed to use the opportunity of the Budget…01 Nov 2021HANSARDCoronavirus: Education Setting Attendance and Support for Pupils(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the impact of coronavirus on attendance in education settings and support for pupils…23 Sept 2021HANSARDCoronavirus: Education Setting Attendance and Support for PupilsThank you for granting this urgent question, Mr Speaker. Although I am sorry that the Secretary of State is not in his place, I warmly congratulate the Minister on his…23 Sept 2021HANSARDSkills that Businesses Need: Equipping StudentsBut today’s Institute for Fiscal Studies report shows that two in five children did not even get minimum learning time during covid school closures, half a million left school…06 Sept 2021HANSARDSkills that Businesses Need: Equipping StudentsLiteracy and numeracy, digital and life skills are essential for young people to succeed at work, but progress on closing the attainment gap has stalled—indeed, it has gone into…06 Sept 2021HANSARD Awarding Qualifications in 2021 and 2022I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. On the final day before the House rises for recess, I pay tribute to teachers, school leaders and support staff in every…22 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillNo, I would not like the Secretary of State to intervene again while I am still answering the question he asked me a moment ago. The problem with the Bill and clause 3, which…12 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillI am answering the question that the Secretary of State asked me a moment ago. The Bill means that we will be in a situation where those who wish to challenge a refusal to allow…12 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillI think the Secretary of State is driving at clause 3 of the Bill, which would create a statutory tort. [ Interruption. ] I think he is driving at the need for clause 3 and the…12 Jul 2021